Russian military plane crashes, no causalities

Moscow (Russia) Sept. 17 (ANI): A Russian military airplane on Saturday crashed in southwest Russia but there were no casualties reported.

Quoting Russian Defence Ministry, Xinhua reported that during a training flight, a YAK-130 combat trainer plane crashed on Saturday near the Borisoglebsk airfield in the Voronezh region, southwest Russia.

The Interfax news agency quoted a knowledgeable source as saying that an engine failure may have caused the crash.

The crew steered the plane away from nearby buildings before being catapulted, a ministry statement said, adding that both pilots contacted the command immediately after landing.

A search and rescue team has been sent to help the crew, and a flight safety commission of the Russian armed forces is also starting an on-site investigation into the incident, the statement added.

The YAK-130 is a subsonic two-seat advanced trainer aircraft originally developed by Yakovlev and Aermacchi in the early 1990s. It has also been marketed as a potential light attack aircraft. Development of the plane began in 1991 and the maiden flight was conducted on 25 April 1996. In 2002, it won a Russian government tender for training aircraft and in 2009 the aircraft entered service with the Russian Air Force. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI